The Bulgarian Third Army was a Bulgarian field army during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II. Balkan Wars After 1907, during times of peace, the territory of Bulgaria was divided into three army inspectorates, each one comprising three divisional districts. During war they formed three independent field armies. The Third Army Inspectorate, which had its seat in Ruse, formed the headquarters of the Third Army. On 17 September 1912 Tsar Ferdinand signed a special decree ordering the mobilization of the Bulgarian armed forces, and in accordance with the constitution of the country assumed the nominal role of commander-in-chief. The three Bulgarian field armies were activated and began concentrating on the border with the Ottoman Empire. The Third Army was placed under the command of Lieutenant General Radko Dimitriev and his chief of staff, Colonel Konstantin Zhostov. First Balkan War The chief of staff of the Bulgarian Army, Major General Ivan Fichev, had devised the final plan for the war with the Ottoman Empire more than a year earlier. He realized that Bulgaria had to seize the initiative immediately after the outbreak of the war by conducting a large offensive in Eastern Thrace. To achieve this task the general deployed all three Bulgarian field armies in the vicinity of the Thracian border. The Third Army had a special role in the plan as it was deployed to the northeast of the First Army and its concentration in that area was concealed by the Cavalry Division. General Fichev expected that the Ottomans would remain unaware of this important force and General Dimitriev would shatter the right wing of the unsuspecting Eastern Army. On 4 October O.S. the Third Army had the following composition: On 5 October, Bulgaria declared war on the Ottoman Empire and its field armies began their advance against the Eastern Army which was still mobilizing. By 8 October the Third Army had moved south and managed to align its front with that of the First Army without being detected by the Ottomans, proving General Fitchev's expectations correct. The two Bulgarian armies were now ready to commence the attack on the Adrianople – Kirk Kilisse line. The commander of the Ottoman Army Kölemen Abdullah Pasha, under the pressure of his superiors, planned to attack the Bulgarians on their flanks and envelop them with his III Corps and the forces of the Adrianople fortress. The lack of